Adjustable feeder



sept. 4., 1923. 1, 3. S. JENNINGS ADJUSTABLE' FEEDER Filed Aug. 2l, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 n n n QN www I l l In. fj,

" sept. 4, 1923.

E ,466,835 c. s. JENNINGS AEJUsTAELE FEEDER Filed Aug. l21, 1920 5 sheets-sheet 2 w da??? Sept. 4, 1923.

C. S. JENNINGS ADJUSTABL FEEDER 5 Sheets-Shee'r.l` 4

Filed Agg. 21, 1920 www?? .8. n 6 m 6 v w A. s l., m .h .QN S v M 5 QN, Y NQ l mlmllloil mlfdl o s n. m G Aw. m N m m F a E. mm J w, C A |11 l| 2 9 l A... .L M

easy of adjustment, effective in V'operation and.

relatively inexpensive oi niaiiufactt'ii'e"andt-Z installation. Other and further object'swillf Patented Sept. 4, i923. Y Y

y ,isses LAMsON COMPANY, or Bestron, MiassAoHUsiiirfrs,

CEUSETTS.

ADJUSTABLE mienne.Y

Application 'ined August ai, 192e'. Serin-N6. 405156,71 j

T 0 all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHESTER S. Jn'NNiNGs, I citizen o the United States of'America, andV resident orp Wellesley Farms, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and Yuseful Improvements-in i' Adjustable Feeders, of whichV the followingV is a specification.

This invention relates to. a new and im#V proved means for regulating the iow of comminuted material and more specifically for regulating the iiowof sand or other similar material from a storage hopper or bin onto a moving conveyor. j

In order to transfeiby gravity foundry sand or similar material from a hopper to a 'moving belt or similar conveyor it is necessary to regulate the flow of sand by some means `adapted to render the flowA uniform andl prevent clogging of the conveyor. The flow `of sand or similar material is-dependent upon the size andshape of the'san'd particles and in any'giveiisand will vary widely depending upon the moisture content ofthe sand, which latter may he aii'ected by vatmospheric conditions. lt is therefore necessary that the fiow regulatingmeans he adjustable to adapt itself to varying conditions. Moreover sand under certain conditions of moisture content is likelyto clog' and 'fail' vto pass through a mesh or grating if the latter vis stationary and means should therefore be provided to reciprocate or otherwise put in motion the Iilow control means.

It is an object of the present inventionto provide sand flow regulating means which may be adjusted to meet varying conditions and may have motion impartedl to itv to prevent the sand Jfrom clogging or comingV to regular low 'of sand and consequentlyassure a continuous and uniform distributionjupon a belt or similar conveyor, It is a further object to provide means of the. character de-v scribed which are simple injconstruction,

appear-as the descriptionproceeds.

I have illustrated certain preferred embodiments ofniy inventioii'in the accom-y panying drawings, in whi'ch,'-fA

Figurejl is a side elevationof y certain-parts being brokenA away; 1

Figure 2 isan, end elevation of a modified form or theV machine with certain? Vpartsr omitted Y. .Y

A @Germanen or Messe# -Y Figure 3 is apartial side view ofthe modiiied forni of' the device;VY

Y lfiguret is an end' elevation.

of the main portions of the machine on? an enlarged `Figure 5 is a longitudinal section ot Fig. 4 54 Y Figure 6 is anenlarged detailoi a portion ofFig; f Y

Figure 7 is a planY .view v'showing the gratf ing with the upper portions of the apparatus removed;and "-7 Y Figure 8 is a section'showing the details of the grating as`sembly Y As shown in theJ drawing the apparatus comprises the sand hopper 9,' supported upon Y the stiandardsflO, ,the lower portion of 'the hopper being contracted and having an open 'bottom or discharge opening.

Y Referring'nowparticularlyto Fig, 1, the conveyor belt- 1l passes below the discharge opening of the' hopper 9 and vpasses around the drive roller l2 which latter is supported`jv by a journal frame lffcarried by the support table or ramelet. The conveyor is driven by Ythe motor- 15 through the belt .16, pulley 17 reductioii Ygearing l81aiid 19, pulley 20,' belt, 2lV and pulley 22tlie last .namedi'pulley being' vupon the same" shaft as the' drive `roller 12. vThe pulleys and reduction gearing are all carried by thejournal frame 13. The conveyor belt l1 is, of course, continuous and its opposite end1 andintermediate portions (not shown) are carried by the customary rollers.

The tensionA of the conveyorv beltmayl be.A

varied by vrthe adjustment of theidler roller l 23 carried by tlie'table lll.' rest upon the device. ltis an object to pro- Y vide a devicek which will insure an'evenand Y The V'feeder grate" isY suspended 'belowN the hopper delivery opening by means of the swinging arins 2d, the upperV ends ofwhich are p'ivoted'to theflugs'iQ carriedr by the hopper 9. *The grating comprises va reciV tangular [frame consisting of. longitudinal Y angle irons 26 and cros'sfchaniiel-bars Th'e'lower ends o'fthe'swinging armsQl are Y pivoted toclip'sQS'attachedto the side niem- Fig.` 8, the 'smallY angle ironsv 30 are riveted s to the lowerfside o'ii thehorizontallegpof the members 29, and in the reverse posit-ion.

The grate bars 3 1 and 32 arey pivoted between these members 29. rlhergrate bars arein thesliape oi an inverted U, with one leg longer V'than Ythe other.: The'bars are alternately placedA so that the bars 3l have i a longer leg on the left side as seen in Fig. S, the longer legs havingl a pivoted connection with the adjusting bar 33, and the bars 32 aresiniilarly connected to the adjusting j bar 3-i on the right.

i* tion. The bars ivas . turned outward and perfliorated to. permit. the end olf the 4b olt 4:3* to pass through, the

V` bolt end'beine retained in nlace bv. nuts i i. r l i/ 'adjusting the grate bars.

lThe right ends oi` tliefadjusting' bars33V and 3e are bent out into the plane ot the adjacentA angle iron 29 and as shown in F ig.

l have pivoted to their ends connector mem- The adjusting levers bers such as 34. and 36 are pivotally connectedto the connector nrembers, the lever 35 connecting one member 3% and its adj acent member 297 andV the lever 36 similarly connecting the other membri 3st and its member 2S). The adjustable lock bars .37 are pivoted to thebars ,29 and are provided with a plurality of openings 33 adapted toY register with similar openings located in the levers 3,5 fand 36 between their respective pivots. and to be connected .to thelevers by passinga pin through kthese openings when in registraor, 4and their adjacent bars29 aretliercby maintained in tired relation in any one ot' a Vnumberot4 piedetermined positions. yand the adjustment may be readily. varied'by removing the pin7 actuating the lever 35 or 36 orfboth untillhe desired position. is reached for each set of .gi-ate bars vand again` inserting` the pinor and pulley 2() and isthercby given a short reciprocating movement by the rotation of this shaftv during the operation oi' the apparatus.

Figs. 2 and is similar to that just 4described with the exception oi' the device lor bar 24 as shown inFig .3jhas its lett end either side of the member 3i. The bolt eX- tends` through a slot inthe member 44 as seen in Fig. 2and .has a" threaded connection with'tlie bearing plate 45. By turning the head of the bolt 43. it is screwed in above the grate in the hopper.

the rod .The adjusting or out relative to the plate 45 andthe adj usting bar is moved accordingly to vary the grate adjustment. The other adjusting bar 33 is similarly provided with adjusting means. In theuse o-'f the apparatus the sand is placed in the hopper and the motor set in motion, the rconveyor being` moved and the grate reciprocated. lf the sand is dry and line, sul'licient may pass through the grating with the bars in .theV position shown inV full lines inr Fig 6, but if the sand is moist or coarse vone or both of the adjusting bars maybe n'ioved to bring one or both of the sets ot bars into angularposition such as indicated in brokenV lines in Fig. 6.y rllhis posit-ion oic the bars not only affords a greater space between adjacent bars. butdue to the reciprocal-tion ot the whole grate, each bar has a scoopingv action upon the sand Obviously the adjustment ot' the gratel bars may. be utilized to vary the amount ot any given sand to be delivered as well as to cause a uniform deliveryotdiffering' sands or the saine sand. under differing conditions. j

lWith the Jform shown inf? l. the adjustment ot the grate barsmay lbe nia-de inoreouielrly than with the torin of. Figs. 2

and Sibut the latter has the advantageoic permittinga greater delicacy otadjustment 'The Aside shutters 39 prevent theI sand from spilling overithe side ot theconveyor bel-t and are capable oit being .swung up-by the handlesll to permit inspection or cleaning et the mechanism.

While Vthe apparatus hasl been defined in connection with sand .it is obviously capable of use with any pulverulent or gianular substance as for example sugar, salt, grain., or other material.

l claim: Y y n 1^. In combination with apliopper having a. downwardly' directed discharge opening,

a horizontally reciprocable traine arranged below said oneninff. a. series of substantiall y parallel spaced bars pivotally mounted in vthe trame, ineans for turning said bars about their respective pivotal aries. and means also mounted upon the frame (for retaining saidA bars in the positionto which they may beA j c j, j ,Y turned. The modified ioini ol the device shown 1n 2. In .a device of theclfass described, a hopper and an adjustableV grate composed of a plurality of Hat bars located. ,adjacent the outlet opening ot .the lioppenftlie grate bars:

.being pivoted to agmovable .traine and having downwardly extending'V` legs. connectedl 4to adjusting bars whereby Vthe relation of the bars tothe opening mayY be adjustedjftliere.. `being a plurality et iiidependentadjustingiA `Vbars and each grate bai being connectedto one suchy bar whereby the-grate is dividedinto independently.adjustable series of bars.

3. In a devicejotthe class described, ai

hopper and an adjustable grate composed of a plurality of lat bars located adjacent the outlet opening of the hopper, the grate bars being pivoted to a frame and having downwardly extending legs the legs of alternate bars being connected respectively to one or the other of a pair of adjusting bars whereby the relation of the bars to the opening may be adjusted, and means adapted to reciprocate the grate frame relative to the outlet opening of the hopper.

4. In a device of the class described, a hopper and an adjustable grate composed of a plurality of flat bars located adjacent the outlet opening of the hopper, the grate bars being pivoted to a frame and having downwardly extending legs connected to adjusting bars whereby the relation of the bars to the opening may' be adjusted, the grate frame being suspended by swinging arms whereby the grate may be reciprocated relative to the outlet opening of the hopper.

5. In a device or" the class described, a hopper and an adjustable grate located adj acent the outlet opening ot' the hopper, the grate comprising a plurality of bars pivoted in a frame, the bars having angularly extending legs pivoted to adjusting bars and a lever connecting each adjusting bar to the grate frame, and means adapted to hold each lever lixed in any one of a plurality of positions.

6. In a device of the class described, a

hopper and an adjustable gratelocated adjacent the outlet opening of the hopper, the

.grate comprising a plurality of bars pivoted in a frame, the bars having angular-ly extending legs pivoted to adjusting bars and a lever connecting each adjusting bar to the grate frame, and a second lock lever adapted to be connected to each first mentioned lever to maintain it in any one of a plurality of positions.

7. In a device of the class described, a hopper and an adjustable grate located adjacent the outlet opening of the hopper, the grate comprising a lurality of fiat bars pivoted in a frame, t e bars having angularly extending legs pivoted to adjusting bars and adjustable means connecting'the grate and the adjusting bars whereby the relation between the grate and adjusting bars maybe varied to change the angular relation of the bars to the grate, and means adapted to reciprocate the grate relative to the outlet opening in the hopper.

8. In a device of the class described, a hopper and an adjustable grate locatedradjacent the outlet opening of the hopper, the

grate comprising a plurality of bars pivoted inV a frame, the bars having angularly extending legspivoted to adjusting bars andA a lever connecting each adjusting bar to theV grate frame, and a second lock lever adapted to be connected t0 each iirst mentioned lever to maintain it in any one of a plurality of positions, the grate frame being Vsuspended by swinging arms whereby the grate may be reciprocated relative to the outlet opening of the hopper.

9. In aV device'of the class described, a hopper having an outlet opening for the dis charge of material upon a conveyor disposed adjacent to such opening, and a grate composed of a plurality of independently adjustable series of grate bars, normally ixed relatively to each other, interposed between said hopper and conveyor for regulating the ow of material from the hopper tothe conveyor, alternate bars of the grate being disposed in different series whereby adjacent bars of the grate are independently adjustable. Y

l0.l In a device of the class described, a

hopper and an adjustable grate composed of `this tweltth day of August,`1920.

CHESTER s. JENNINGS.l 

